The strange connectedness of my research on Martin Henry Dawson and Gabriel Wortman, the Portapique spree killer

I was taking a break from my research on GW, the Portapique spree killer, to feel sad.

Martin Henry Dawson’s eldest child Shirley Kirkland - my main first-hand informant about the personal side of her dad Henry (shown right) died recently.

I was quietly reflecting  back over her life when I suddenly remembered : Shirley’s mom Marjorie had quit her job two thirds of the way into her pregnancy and had left NYC to go back home to her mom in Montreal, to have her mom help out with the first pregnancy.

This was quite common back in the day.

Suddenly, I could finally see what connection a supposed GW uncle, but born awkwardly thousands of miles away, could ever have with a working class family in Moncton.

It was simply that he was the eldest, the first born, and she just took her first pregnancy back home to her mom and then returned to her married life in Moncton. As I said, a dirt-common event back in those days.

Scales dropped and GW family connections were made...